Book Review: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

Title: Ariadne

Author: Jennifer Saint

Publisher: Headline

Length: 386 pages

Synopsis: As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the terrible bellows of the Minotaur baying for blood from the Labryinth beneath the palace. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as an offering to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus defeat the monster means betraying her family. Ariadne has heard too many tales of women being punished for the acts of men – she is determined to set her own fate. But will her decision to help Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition?

There is so much to love about Ariadne from the characters, the story and the beautiful writing. If you’re a fan of Greek Mythology retelling or you know just fantastic books, you’ll love Ariadne.

It usually takes me a while to get into books but as soon as I started reading Ariadne I was totally into the story within the first few pages. It’s immediately captivating as you learn about the characters and this beautiful world. This really is a testament to Jennifer’s writing.

Ariadne is such a wonderful character, who I immediately warmed to and connected with. Also, just sot clarify that I knew nothing of Ariadne’s story before so you don’t need to know, you’ll still enjoy this book. She just feels a very real character. Phaedra is also a wonderful character. And what I really loved about this book is that it really celebrates womanhood and sisterhood. The sisters are surrounded by powerful men and Gods, but its the sisters that power the story, it the sister that the readers will love.

One of my favourite things about this book is Jennifers beautiful writing. It’s so lyrical and stunning. The writing totally captures you and transports you to Ancient Greece. Jennifer weaves a compelling story of love, betrayal (which had me jaw hitting the floor) and taking your destiny into your own hands. As I’m sure you can tell I loved the book and the writing.

Something I really enjoyed while reading this book is that when Ariadne meets different characters in this book, they tell her a story and as the reader you get a story within the story and I just absolutely loved it.

Ariadne is a beautiful read that I couldn’t put down but didn’t want to end. Definitely don’t miss this beautiful book. I’ll look forward to reading whatever Jennifer writes next.

Thanks to Caitlin at Headline for my copy of this book in return for an honest, unbiased review. It’s out April 29th.

Until the next review

Jthbooks